Tag: relationships

I will thank the LORD with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.

Psalm 111:1 (NIV)

Happy Thankful Thursday!

How am I going to get it all done?

Words I have thought to myself as I’m sure you have as well. The pace that we live this life in most days is nothing short of a sprint. We cram too much in and then stress about how we are going to get it all done.

I have been guilty of this lately. On top of all normal activities, harvest season has begun!

As I pause to reflect on the past week my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for the people that the Father has put in my life to help and support me.

I’m thankful for my mom… she took five days out of her busy schedule to come up and help me with some canning last week. As we spent time over snapped green beans and crushed tomatoes we visited from the soul, something that I desperately needed.

I’m thankful for a great phone call from my sister yesterday…sometimes I just need her strength to help hold me up and tell me that my head is going to stay above water and that I’m doing a great job, even when I’m unsure that I am.

I’m thankful for a great friend who stopped by and picked up one of our boys for football practice because I was still canning peaches and definitely not going to get him there on time.

I’m thankful for a text message of encouragement from another friend… she had no idea how much I needed that encouragement on a project I am working on and it came just at the right time.

The Father is always so good at knowing what we need, when we need it. He places people in our lives to support us and encourage us at just the right time.

I am so thankful for the relationship I have with the Father and the relationships He is growing here in this season.

Blessings,

The Johnston’s

Pause and Reflect:

Think of the people who has been there to help you and support you lately. I encourage you to take the time to reach out them and send them a message of thanks and let them know how much you appreciate it.

Pay it Forward:

Is there 3 people that you could reach out to and help over this next week? Even if it is just a word of encouragement, we all need it! Drop a text, a note in the mail, it doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective!

To say that I have been overwhelmed with emotion the last few days is an understatement… our boys started kindergarten this week! Wow!! Where has the time gone?

It seems like it was just yesterday that we peered into those incubators at them, so tiny and frail. I remember feeling like they would never get big enough, strong enough. But day by day the Father watched over them and they grew. And one day at a time they did get stronger…

Give Thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Psalm 105:1 NLT

Where our boys started and where they are today is nothing short of the work of the Father…and I am forever thankful for the journey he placed in front of us almost six years ago. I didn’t perceive it as a blessing back then but watching Him work in our family has been astounding.

I am thankful for every single day that I have been able to spend with our boys. I am thankful for every breath he has given them. I am thankful for the new season ahead and all that He has planned for them.

Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100: 1-3

Happy Thankful Thursday!

I tend to be a bit of a control freak. It is something that I continually must keep surrendering and asking for grace on. I am mostly a control freak when it comes to our boys…with the health issues that have loomed in the past I want to control everything about their surroundings. With them starting kindergarten next week… I have been a bit of a mess.

HOWEVER, I am not in control, God is.

And this week I am so incredible thankful that He made us, and we are his. That means that our boys are also his and this fills me with so much confidence to start this new journey with them. He made them and they are his first.

When I asked Carter what he was thankful for this week he said:

drawing

his kitty

the camper

his new watch and new shoes for school

Qwade added:

having a mom and dad!!

I am so thankful for these two…

I am so thankful that God chose us to be their parents. I am thankful I have gotten to spend the better part of almost six years home with them. I am thankful that they continue to grow and mature.

If you are in a place of tug-a-war, struggling in or with a relationship, or having trouble relinquishing control, I just want to encourage you – you are not alone! I believe we all struggle at times with control, but the best thing to do is to STOP and give it to the One who is in control.

Anyone else feel absolutely bombarded by life lately?! I know, I know, it’s summer right!! But along with swimming pools, T Ball, bike rides and frog catchin’ there is still work, chores, cleaning, etc. that needs done.

I totally feel like life has been controlling me lately instead of me putting life together in a planner. LOL

But when we get bombarded and overwhelmed with all the activities that make our worlds go ’round I am learning that as long as my heart is grounded where it should be…everything else will work itself out.

There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2

There is no one else in the whole world that will ever fill our hearts like the Father does.

There is no other Rock that will ever be firm enough to hold us when life bombards us.

So, as we all dive into the second half of summer, let’s plant our feet firmly on the Rock, keep our eyes on Jesus, and our hearts set on His Word.

What a week it has been! Since last Thursday it has been a roller coaster ride around our house. I got super sick with a sore throat and body ache thing and had to cancel a family trip, we have had a family member in the hospital for an unexpected surgery, a scare with my old man Mr. Bud (my horse since I was 8 and lifelong companion), and some family turmoil with jobs, etc.

To say it has been a week is an understatement! But this is what I know…

We don’t just practice thankfulness in the good times, but also in times of trial. Because when we look closely, we can see God’s hand in everything.

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

I am grateful this week for:

an unexpected accident that led to a huge blessing in the health of my father-in-law

God’s hand at work in ALL things

a new diet plan for my old man to aid in his nutrition

a husband who always steps in and provides support when I tend to want to fall apart

the power of prayer

It’s easy to praise God when everything is going great and going as planned, but I believe it is during the difficult times that the Father invites us to trust him more and to draw close.

When I was scared you protected me. When I was excited you would hug me.

When I needed guidance you shared wisdom with me. When I felt alone you stayed with me.

When I wandered away you kept your eye on me…never letting me out of your site.

When I felt hopeless you held my hand. When I doubted you encouraged me.

There have been days I have messed up, ran away, felt ashamed. But your love never wavered. It stayed steadfast, strong, relentless.

You have loved me with an everlasting love. A love that is undeniable and constant. A love that never fails, never gives up, never fades. We don’t have to earn it, we don’t have to work for it, we don’t have to prove ourselves for it.

A love so amazing…

I personally have been blessed with an amazing earthly Father, whereas, some may not have been so fortunate to have that same experience. See a father’s love comes from our heavenly Father. People here on earth attempt to replicate this love but it can only be perfected by our heavenly Father.

A love so perfect it is impossible to describe.

There is no other love like the love of a father…for it comes from the Father.

For your Maker is your husband – the LORD Almighty is his name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. Isaiah 54:5 NIV

Good morning!

What are you magnifying in your life? You know…that thing you can’t stop thinking about. We can magnify the Good or we can magnify the bad…

It is easy to get swept up in our current problems and let our minds roll over and over trying to figure out an answer or make a plan as to how are going to combat it, or try to figure out how we even got here in the first place. A few things that get magnified in our lives are

Health Concerns

Special Food Diet

Exposure to allergies, chemicals, and germs

But as we let our minds run wild with thoughts all we are actually doing is magnifying the challenge we face. We take our situation and make it bigger and bigger and bigger in our minds until it becomes all consuming.

Do you have something in your mind that you are magnifying?

Is our situation bigger than our God? The God of all the earth? The one who laid its foundation and binds up the waters?

Not likely.

Instead of magnifying our current situation friend, let’s magnify God. Let’s lay down our anxiety at His feet and lift our eyes to Him. Let’s start making Jesus bigger in our days and step into the peace that comes with trusting Him in and through ALL things.